Understanding how the prison system is different in Georgia

Fifty years ago many criminologists were questioning if prisons were a thing of the past because rates of incarceration where at a historic low and had been declining for many years. The average incarceration rate during the first part of the 20th century was one-tenth of one percent of the population. But as we know…

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30 Under 30 Awards

Board President, Stephanie Iasiello, named among the “30 Under 30” Nonprofit Leaders in Atlanta by the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network.​

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Atlanta Magazine Announces 2018 Women Making A Mark Honorees

Executive Director, Wende Ballew, named among the 2018 Women Making A Mark by Atlanta Magazine. “We are fortunate and extremely excited by this year’s group of honorees. Not only are these women leading some of Atlanta’s finest corporations, they serve as role models and mentors to all of us that strive to give back, contribute to…

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Reforming Arts to Receive $15,000 Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts

National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Jane Chu has approved more than $25 million in grants as part of the NEA’s first major funding announcement for fiscal year 2018.  Included in this announcement is an Art Works grant of $15,000 to Reforming Arts to support our theater-infused higher education program for incarcerated individuals in Georgia.…

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Reflections on Kelly Gissendaner

On the morning of Friday January 23, 2015, I and Reforming Arts volunteer, Katherine Perry, walked into our poetry classroom at Lee Arrendale State Prison and were greeted by the words, “they are going to kill Kelly on February 10th.” Our students did not have time to say hello, they needed to know if we…

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“911, Where is your Emergency?”

I have spent countless hours over the past eleven years asking that question. I work as a shift supervisor for a small emergency services agency in northwest Georgia that serves a community of about 80,000 people. Often people associate my job with a constant barrage of structure fires, armed robberies, six car pile ups with…

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Perspective

There is nothing like a healthy dose of perspective. It is so easy for me to take for granted all of the privileges that make up my daily life.  For example, I have endless choices of what to eat at restaurants or buy at the grocery store; the freedom to decide where I want to…

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Improvisation

Improvisation. The theatrical art of flying without a net. An art form that necessitates trust, support, and a need to tear down all of one’s figurative and emotional walls. Needless to say, I was nervous about attending the drama class at Arrendale State Prison before my first day. I had absolutely no idea what I…

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